Ambarhal

Ambarhal is a mysterious alternate dimension and spiritual realm created by the ancient god-machine Xyclami (also known as Guruthos). It serves as the dimensional conduit through which the device routes its immense power to create Prime magic. For the majority of The Metalwood Saga, Ambarhal functions as a sprawling, purgatorial prison for the Twins (Nelenor and Velion) and for billions of souls displaced by the Sundering.

Any Talented mage who dies, or has their soul severed, is sent to Ambarhal. Those rare few who manage to escape the realm and return to the physical world are reborn as fully realized Prime Mages, gaining biological immortality and enhanced magical abilities.

Soulsundering immediately moves the soul to Ambarhal, whether or not the person was magically Talented.

Geography and Environment

The landscape of Ambarhal is surreal and deeply unsettling. It features a violet or purple sky that possesses no stars, but rather strange white striations that twist and move. The ground is a flat, untextured green, covered in endlessly rolling hills and dales. The entire atmosphere wavers and shimmers like steam or a heat haze, as if the realm cannot quite decide on its physical form.

Throughout this landscape are scattered thousands of Trees of varying species. Each Tree in Ambarhal has a counterpart in the physical world, acting as a conduit between the mortal plane and the spiritual energies of the dimension. Some of these Trees block the paths of wanderers, forcing them into a gauntlet where they must answer riddles or poems to pass. At the center of the realm, atop the highest hill, stand the two most prominent figures: a starkly black Tree and a bright gold Tree, which are the imprisoned forms of the Twins, Nelenor and Velion.

Time and Mechanics

Time flows completely differently in Ambarhal compared to the physical universe. For some, such as Lorelei, five hundred years in the real world felt like merely a few days in Ambarhal. For others like Elanil, a single month in the real world stretched on to feel like agonizing years.

Furthermore, the dimension is not static; it grows larger every time a soul is added to it. The forced imprisonment of the Twins vastly expanded Ambarhal's size and scope, allowing it to eventually house billions more souls than the Creators of Xyclami ever intended it to hold.

Key Events

The Imprisonment

One hundred thousand years ago, the ambitious scientist Orym (Aten) used newly discovered soulsundering magic to sever the Twins' souls from their bodies, trapping them in Ambarhal so that he could study Xyclami unchecked. Later, Orym himself managed to enter Ambarhal by linking his soulstrand to the device, achieving immortality and unlocking his access to all fourteen magical Aspects.

The Sundering

During the catastrophic event on Earth known as the Sundering, ninety-nine percent of humanity was wiped out. However, their souls did not truly pass on into the beyond; instead, the Thirteenth Power unmoored their souls and threw them into Ambarhal. Billions of human souls were trapped in a ghostly half-life, milling about aimlessly across the green and purple hills for centuries.

The Wanderers

Over the millennia, several notable figures died and were transported to Ambarhal, eventually finding their way out. Cariel arrived after being murdered by a rylak, making a dark pact with the Twins and learning the secrets of soulbinding and worldhopping before she escaped. Elanil visited Ambarhal after being fatally shot, navigating the gauntlet of Trees and tragically witnessing her mother, Melenora, being horrifyingly consumed by a soulprison Tree. Other characters who passed through the realm to become Prime Mages include Phoenix, Rylan, Talon, and Jalnab.

The Release

When the Twins were finally freed from their long captivity, Ambarhal could no longer contain the billions of sundered souls. The Trees within the realm began burning, serving as transition vessels. Ghostly souls streamed out of Ambarhal into the physical world, pouring into the Thesserin Desert and the Salt Spires to wreak mindless, emotion-driven havoc during the final battles of the series.

See Also

• Xyclami (Guruthos)
• The Twins
• Orym
• Prime Mages
• The Sundering